


To Your Gravity

by nurul



Category: B.A.P
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-05
Updated: 2014-08-05
Packaged: 2018-02-11 20:25:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2081940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nurul/pseuds/nurul
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The coffee shop Junhong drops by, when he goes to work as a flight attendant, serves the best coffee in the airport. It has nothing to do with the cute barista. Or at least that's what he tries to tell everyone who won't mind their own business.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Your Gravity

Junhong remembers the morning of his first flight. He remembers completely losing his shit. He has never been afraid of flying, nor was he inexperienced at customer service - hence the reason why he had taken the job in the first place - and yet, for some reason, his mind would not cease conjuring images that all inevitably led to him getting fired within a day.

The more creative his own imagination became at tormenting him, the more the walls of his apartment seemed to close in on him. So he headed to the airport three hours earlier than he needed to, white as sheet and hands clammy, where he found himself in front of an alarmingly attractive boy, watching him expectantly over a counter.

"Can I help you?" he asked Junhong, an eyebrow raised. "Other people want their coffee too."

It was then that he belatedly realised that he was in a coffee shop. "Uh... Regular Americano?"

Junhong was really only repeating what Himchan usually orders; he had never actually tasted an Americano in his admittedly brief life. But he paid for the drink, and carefully tried not to wince at the taste when the alarmingly attractive barista came over, plate in hand. His cheekbones could probably cut diamond. "Here. Bagel's on me. You kind of look like death."

Four months have passed since Choi Junhong had fallen in love with coffee.

****

He looks up at the departure board, and calculates the remaining time he has in his head.

"You're getting _coffee_ , aren't you?" asks Boa, eyes narrowed. "There's coffee on the plane."

Juhyun laughs, loud as always, drawing the attention of everyone around them. An acne-ridden teenager does a double take, eyes blatantly lingering on Juhyun's derrière, but triples his pace when he realises that Junhong has an eye on him. "Please," says Juhyun. "We all know it's not really the coffee."

Airplane coffee tastes terrible. It is nobody's fault - or at least, Junhong is highly likely heavily biased, because it is specifically none of the airline crew's fault. One can only do so much with low quality. The little shop makes the best coffee in the airport. And if he happens to think one of the baristas is cute, no one needs to discuss it this loudly. Junhong tries to tell them all this, excluding the last bit about the barista, but the ladies look collectively unimpressed.

"Don't even try to give us those puppy dog eyes either," says Boa, shielding her own eyes with a pale forearm just to be safe. "They're not going to work on me."

Narae cups her face in her hands. "Aww, but he's so cute. He's almost as cute as Brad Pitt."

"Did you just compare him to your lizard?"

Before Junhong manages to feel offended, Juhyun is forcefully dragging him by the scruff of his neck, ignoring his halfhearted protests, even though he is much taller and bigger than she is, and only lets go when she is convinced he isn't going to make a run for it. He rebelliously decides he prefers quiet Bohyung because she makes for him tea with three packets of sugar since he is so terribly picky about coffee, and doesn't tell the rest about it. But then Juhyun pats him on the cheek affectionately as he passes through her section of the plane, and Junhong admits he is lying to himself. He likes all the stewardess noonas.

He just really, really wanted to see Youngjae.

****

It takes a whole week before Junhong is on the plane headed back to Incheon International Airport. He escapes as soon as he can, waving at Hyosung absentmindedly. Before he registers where his tired feet have led him, there is the unmistakeable scent of caffeine in the air.

"Junhongie! I haven't seen you in weeks." Youngjae's voice is balm on his jet lagged soul.

He doesn't have to tell him what he wants, mostly because it is always the same thing. There is an obvious jam stain on Youngjae's apron, which makes Junhong snicker. The long suffering sigh Youngjae heaves, and the way he runs his fingers through his hair when he notices the stain almost makes Junhong feel bad. "Ugh. Why am I even working here?"

"You're a gadget freak, and your scholarship doesn't cover that." It's the first thing Junhong learnt about Youngjae, the day Daehyun complained to him about Youngjae being stingy with his electronics. To say that Junhong has been more than eager to know more ever since would be the understatement of the century.

"That was a rhetorical question," says Youngjae, rolling his eyes. "But very good, Junhong. You can start writing my biography now. I'll even sign a copy, just for you."

The airport is oddly relatively empty, and so is the coffee shop, so Junhong has more than plenty of tables to choose from. He drops his luggage by the table nearest to the counter, where he has the best view of Youngjae, who is occupying himself with cleaning the coffee machine.

"Where's Daehyun hyung anyway?" Junhong asks.

"Gone. He'd better have a good reason for taking this long to come back," Youngjae grumbles. "Like choked on a tartlet somewhere out there. But then I'd be bored by myself here so. That Daebutt's probably still alive in the men's room. He'll drag himself back eventually, or at least he'd better be before a whole bunch of flights start bringing in a whole bunch of boring people."

Even Youngjae's grumpy rants are endearing to Junhong. "I can't be that boring."

Youngjae stills at that, sour face melting into a dimpled smile. "No, you're not. You're a sight for sore eyes, for one thing. How are you still so cute even after, what, a five hour flight? Is it some kind of trade secret that you can't share?"

"Twelve hours," Junhong corrects him. "Non-stop. I bought you a keychain, by the way."

"Rookie Junhongie, going places," says Youngjae, beaming at him. "It feels like yesterday when you waltzed in here, looking like you were going to lose the contents of your last meal all over the floor." His warm, calloused fingers brush against Junhong's as they close around the keychain. Junhong has to contain the unadulterated joy the brief skin contact elicits.

Youngjae tugs gently at the keychain, and raises an eyebrow when Junhong doesn't let go. "You have to tell me something about you in return," says Junhong. He struggles to keep a straight face for a full five seconds, but then his face cracks into a grin.

"This a gift or a bribe?" Youngjae asks, and pushes Junhong with the keychain. Neither of them lets go of it, even when Daehyun returns, surveying the scene before him in confusion.

Junhong doesn't pay any heed to Daehyun's demands for an explanation. "Bribe. Obviously."

"Okay fine, you little shit. I like R&B music."

"Like Alicia Keys?"

"Well, yeah. Like Musiq Soulchild."

****

"So how's things with barista boy?" Himchan's smirk is unsettling. Junhong regrets the day he lets slip something about a barista, and hopes he hasn't found out who Youngjae is yet.

In lieu of a proper, verbal response, Junhong focuses on chewing carefully on his food.

"You still haven't asked for his number yet, have you?" asks Himchan, sounding strangely disappointed. " _Aish_. Youth is wasted on the young. Have I taught you nothing?"

"It's not as if you held a class on how to pick up baristas."

"It's all about application." Himchan sighs dramatically, and kicks Junhong underneath the table. "You're supposed to be able to apply all that training to everything. I have failed you. I have taught you nothing. I really ought to recommend sending you back here for training."

Junhong rolls his eyes. "I don't even know for sure if he's single. Or even gay."

"You need to either get that gaydar fixed," says Himchan, wagging a finger at him. "Or just let me meet this barista boy already. I mean, come on. Why won't you tell me who he is? Don't either of you have Facebook? All this technology and oversharing everyone does and you still can't even use it to your advantage. Or you could go the old fashioned route and just ask him."

Junhong shrugs, and doesn't answer. "This is so depressing," Himchan complains. "You roll your eyes and act like it's no big deal, but what if you wait for so long, someone else gets to him first? I don't even understand. I'm going to grow old and die before you and this boy go out on your first date."

"Calm down, hyung," Junhong says.

Himchan gapes at him. "You're _too_ calm."

"I'm just kind of taking it slow, okay?" Junhong explains defensively, while lifting his feet from the floor to dodge another kick. "I don't want to scare him off, so I'm just... getting to know him. This way, even if he doesn't turn out gay, we could just, you know... be friends."

"That's great. That's so great. And then we can find a few more people and form a boyband."

He moodily pokes at his tomatoes. "Hyung, why do you have to get all sarcastic on me? I've made a lot of progress with him, okay? I mean, I know that he likes R&B music now, is a university student and has a best friend he's known since they were kids now so... progress."

"So what," says Himchan, brows raised. "You're gathering data to figure out the best possible way to ask him out? Are you confessing your feelings through rap while he covers his favourite R&B love song and rope his best friend into it somehow?" He stares at the opposite wall thoughtfully, as though he is seriously contemplating the idea. "I hope you record it."

Junhong rubs his forehead. "That sounds more like a really elaborate proposal."

"And thank god for it. At the rate you're moving, he might just say yes."

****

Youngjae isn't always there when Junhong goes to work. It shouldn't come as a surprise since Junhong is more than aware that Youngjae isn't even employed on a full time basis, but it comes as a blow anyway everytime he sees someone else at the coffee shop. It is even worse when Daehyun is there without Youngjae, smiling apologetically, since they're usually paired together.

"He's really ill," says Daehyun, even though Junhong doesn't ask. "His brother literally carried him to a doctor because he wouldn't go, muttering some weird shit about coffee."

Junhong tries not to let it affect him on the airplane. He is unfailingly polite as usual, greeting every passenger with a cheer he does not feel as they make their way to their seats, while he attempts to navigate the cramped, narrow space that is the airplane aisle. His head collides with an open overhead compartment door for the second time this month - Junhong has to bite his lip to keep from swearing. An old lady travelling by herself winces in commiseration.

Narae later offers him ice, which he accepts gratefully. "Happens to the best of us," she tells him.

"Does it really?" On his very first flight, he hit his head so hard against one of the doors that it made an infant giggle, gurgling in her mother's lap. At least somebody got something positive out of it.

"No, not really." The grin she gives him is teasing. He pouts exaggeratedly, feigning at being offended; it earns him a punch on the arm.

"Ouch," Junhong protests. "Are you taking lessons from Juhyun noona?"

"Among other things," Juhyun cuts in as she pops in to grab a spare headset, and then back out, leaving Narae blushing slightly. Junhong blinks, unsure of what had just transpired there.

"So did you see him before we had to report?" asks Narae quickly before he can decide.

He attempts not to let his face fall at that, but judging from the pity in her eyes, fails spectacularly. It's so stupid. He has only known Youngjae for barely half a year, and the first half of it was mostly spent on awkward coffee transaction, and never outside of the airport. In fact, Junhong hadn't even been able to talk to him alone for two long, painful months; Youngjae finally bluntly asked if Junhong didn't like him, if he had offended Junhong in some way. The irony of his question only made Junhong more nervous, but he managed an adamant shake of his head, which unfortunately did little to allay any of Youngjae's false suspicions.

Youngjae was only convinced that Junhong didn't hate him when he never stopped ordering from the coffee shop. Eventually, Junhong steeled himself enough to engage him in conversation, which happily turned out to be much easier than he had envisioned, lacking every social mishap Junhong's traitorous mind could suggest. The barista boy had laughed loudly at every single one of Junhong's stupid jokes, and at one point, even leant across the counter to brush lint off his shoulder - it was quite possibly the best day of Junhong's life.

"Why won't you ask him out?" she asks softly.

He chews on the inside of his cheek, remembering Himchan asking him the exact same question only recently. "I don't know if he sees me that way. Maybe I'm just a customer."

"Does he make as much conversation with his customers as he seems to do with you?"

Boa drops in then, tutting at them both. "It's almost time for takeoff, bring out the hot towels."

"Tell Junhongie to ask coffee boy out."

"Ask coffee boy out," Boa orders him in the same tone, and immediately leaves with half of the hot towels for her side of the airplane. Junhong fiddles with the metal towel container. "Noona... what if he says no?"

"Why would he?" Narae regards him with disbelief. "You're the third cutest thing on earth."

"After Brad Pitt and, what, cats?" Junhong asks. He sighs when she nods enthusiastically. "That's very reassuring, noona, thank you."

Narae winks at him as she smoothens her skirt and checks her makeup in the tiny mirror next to the coffee maker. When he thinks about it, what he does for a living isn't very different from what Youngjae does - Junhong just does it at more than 30,000 feet above the ground, miles away from home.

"But if we count animated characters, Junhongie, then you'll be a whole lot lower."

****

The Youngjae that Junhong comes home to appears a bit worse for wear, exhaustion writ on his slightly pale face. But it is Youngjae all the same, and truth to be told, despite spending nearly a week in Los Angeles, Junhong hasn't seen a sight more wonderful in weeks.

"It's 4500 won for the bagel," says Youngjae to a lady in front.

She makes a derisive noise. "What kind of bread is this expensive?"

He only smiles, and waits patiently for her to dig into her Louis Vuitton purse for cash. Youngjae still hasn't noticed Junhong because his slim frame is blocked by another man, who appears to be about three times his size. Junhong is beginning to feel antsy with anticipation.

It's Daehyun who spots him there first. "Junhongie!" He says it loud enough that it catches Youngjae's attention.

The way Youngjae's face brightens when he sees Junhong makes his heart beat so fast, he wonders if Daehyun can hear it from where he is standing next to him. He wants to believe he has been missed just as intensely. When the lady finally leaves, the man standing in front takes one look at the wall clock, huffs in irritation and ambles away. Youngjae's grin is so wide as Junhong walks towards him, his face threatens to split into two.

"Did you get a different flight again?" Youngjae asks. He's setting a cup aside for Junhong, and starts the machine running like clockwork. "You're here at a different time."

Junhong is pleased that he noticed. "L.A.. You look like a gust of wind can knock you over."

"That obvious, huh?"

"Still handsome though. Like an actor." Youngjae's hand pauses in midair at the compliment; Junhong panics inwardly, worried he had overstepped some sort of boundary, and quickly asks if Youngjae feels any better. When Youngjae's eyes go soft instead as he nods, and even laughs a little, Junhong releases the breath he didn't realise he has been holding.

"Got you something," he says instead.

"I guess I have to tell you something else now?"

Junhong shrugs. "If you want."

"Oh, I have a choice now? Hold on for a second -" Youngjae's shifted his focus on a new customer, which irrationally makes Junhong want to spirit Youngjae away, far beyond the borders of the airport. He knows Youngjae is technically still at work, but he glares at the scuffs on the tips of the man's footwear anyway.

"I just cleaned the floor, Junhong-ah," says Daehyun. He's back behind the counter. "Why are you looking at it like that? Did I miss a spot? Did it offend you personally?"

"Your _face_ offends me personally," Junhong retorts, grinning when Youngjae snorts.

"Wow. What is this two against one injustice? Youngjae, your _friend_ is as mean as you are."

"Don't be stupid," says Youngjae when he's done. "Anyway. Junhongie. I went on one date with this dumbass here years ago. It was a lapse of judgement." He ignores Daehyun's indignant protests ("You were the one who suggested it!"). There is something different, heavier in his gaze, when Youngjae searches Junhong's face, but then he simply holds a hand out. "Now give me my souvenir, please."

Junhong heart leaps when he makes the connection - Youngjae is gay.

****

"Or you know, he could be bisexual," Himchan suggests. "But the real question here is, why, oh why didn't you ask him out right there and then? I swear on Yonggukie's impressive ramen supply, that it was obviously a hint. It couldn't be more blatant if it bit you on your sweet, soft ass."

"He said he's gay. Or, okay, bisexual. He didn't say he's single," Junhong argues, playing with a stray thread on the hem of his shirt. "How would _you_ know anyway? You weren't even there."

"Who's bisexual?"

Himchan waves Yongguk's query off absently, and leans forward, closer to Junhong. The expression on Himchan's face carries an intense sense of foreboding. "If you don't ask this boy out within the week," says Himchan, very seriously. "I will put on the hottest outfit I have, hunt him down, flirt with him so hard and ask him out myself."

Junhong splutters. "You wouldn't."

****

He hasn't dressed himself and styled his hair anywhere this quickly since back in high school whenever he was running late, which was often. So Junhong has had practice, fortunately, since there is no way he is going to sit on his ass while Himchan makes a move on the boy he has been pining after for months. No way. But when he arrives at the coffee shop, out of uniform for once, Youngjae isn't there. It's his shift for sure, and yet neither Youngjae nor Daehyun is there.

The phone in Junhong's pocket vibrates. "I see you at the coffee shop." It's Himchan. Junhong wants to punch him in the face. "I was obviously messing with you about stealing the love of your life, but it's nice to know you actually believe I'd do such a thing. I'm watching you right now though. Do it. Is that him? Ask -"

Junhong hangs up without deigning to reply, and heads towards the only barista on duty, whose nametag says Jongup. His hair is purple, parted in the middle, and his dark roots are showing; Junhong cringes inwardly, but concedes his hair has probably been through worse. "Hi, uh, I'm not really ordering anything. I just... wanted to ask where Youngjae went?"

A corner of Jongup's mouth lifts, uncertain. "He just quit, I think."

Junhong's throat tightens. Neither Youngjae nor Daehyun mentioned anything about quitting.

"Do you... happen to have his number with you?" he asks, slowly.

"I don't, sorry..." To Jongup's credit, he does look apologetic.

For a split second, Junhong considers leaving his number with Jongup, in case Youngjae returns for some reason. But what are the odds of that? He shakes his head instead, and smiles weakly at Jongup before he turns around to leave. He was too late. Youngjae is gone.

****

It takes what feels like ages for Junhong to recover. He turns down one of the flights he's been assigned to, citing illness as an excuse. For an entire week, all Junhong does is lie in bed, with his laptop playing Musiq Soulchild on repeat, and only leaves the room for sustenance. He isn't in the least bit fazed when Yongguk brings Himchan in to drag him out of bed (neither of them succeed), and halfheartedly takes a shower after Yongguk loses his temper.

When Junhong tries to get out of the next flight, the head of his office chews him out on the telephone, so he finally drags himself out, and makes himself presentable enough for work. Hyosung takes one look at him, and gives him a quick hug without asking anything, for which he is immensely grateful.

****

Junhong splurges on an elaborate coffeemaker to congratulate himself on managing an entire month without Youngjae. He even learns how to differentiate all the coffees that has ever existed; neither Yongguk nor Junhong gets much sleep for a week from testing them, while Himchan's persistent requests for an Americano go thoroughly ignored.

****

That weekend, he heads to work as usual, aggressively ignoring the post-Youngjae coffee shop as he passes by, when he finds Himchan standing outside the flight gate, which is odd in itself, watching Junhong with barely restrained glee. Junhong doesn't particularly feel sociable enough to ask, so he enters the aircraft without speaking to him, trailing behind the rest of the crew.

The stewardesses have been whispering excitedly among themselves nearly ever since they boarded the airplane, shutting up altogether whenever Junhong stands too near. Used to being the only male flight attendant on board by now, he figures it has to be a ladies' thing, and continues distributing headsets in silence. He doesn't even question it when Jieun tells him to switch sections with Hyosung by the rear of the aircraft at the last minute.

In his haste to make way for Hyosung, Junhong accidentally knocks his head against an overhead compartment door, when he hears a voice he has not heard in over a month - "Fuck, Junhong, are you okay?" His shoulders stiffen as he turns around, slowly, in case all those months of hitting his head have finally taken a toll on his sanity.

Youngjae's eyes are wide, staring at Junhong's aching forehead in concern.

"Youngjae hyung? Is that - what are you doing here?" asks Junhong, voice hoarse. "How -?"

"A Kim Himchan-ssi hunted me down," says Youngjae. His eyebags and dark circles have never looked worse, and he has never looked more _beautiful_ ; Junhong feels like pinching himself. "He found me after my last paper, told me to pack for a week and shoved a plane ticket in my direction. I don't even know how he knew my passport number. You have terrifying friends."

Junhong stares at him, then he is practically stumbling over his feet to tug Youngjae towards a small private area at the back of the plane, throwing the curtain close behind him. Youngjae is a mere hairsbreadth's distance away, solid and real; Junhong makes a desperate noise, and pins him against the nearest vertical surface. Their noses nudge against each other, and he marvels at their proximity, before softly pressing their lips together.

Technically, they're both still on airport grounds. Except the counter between them is completely gone, and Junhong can rest his hand against the small of Youngjae's back. "Go out with me?"

"Are you kidding?" Youngjae's question almost makes him second guess himself until Youngjae reaches up to examine Junhong's tender forehead; when Junhong winces, Youngjae tiptoes to gently kiss beside it. "I've been hoping you'd say something ever since I wrote my number on the serviette that came with your free bagel the first day I met you, stupid."

Junhong feels his jaw drop. He has no memory of this, aside from coffee, bagel, and just _Youngjae_.

"I thought you weren't interested," Youngjae continues, lightly punching him in his chest. "I even thought you were _homophobic_ at one point. And then you bring me _souvenirs_.

"But you don't even react whenever I dropped any kind of hint, or at least not a reaction I can understand, and ugh, I didn't know what to do with you." He hooks a foot behind Junhong's ankle. "And then after I had to quit because everything in school was just piling up, the new guy tells Daehyun a really tall boy asked about me, and I - Now I know you're just _stupid_.

"Now shut up and kiss me again before you go."

Junhong does, and swears on his life to learn to brew the perfect Americano for Himchan.

**Author's Note:**

> I have read everything. Every younglo fic out there. I got so thirsty for fic, I've written like three of my own. This was the least awful one. Inspired by the influx of flights I took between June and July of 2014, because I thought it'd be simultaneously hilarious and adorable to imagine Zelo as a flight attendant, surrounded by noonas. Also please listen to SPICA.


End file.
